Chelsea welcome League One strugglers Port Vale to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4.
The Blues have been in poor form of late, losing four matches on the bounce in all competitions, and have lost ground in the race for a top four finish in the Premier League.
Liam Rosenior now finds himself under immense pressure at Stamford Bridge, with the west London outfit having been knocked out of the Champions League by an aggregate score of 8-2 against holders Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
Ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final, it has emerged that Chelsea are one of three huge Premier League clubs that have been snubbed by one of Europe’s most in-demand attacking players.
According to CaughtOffside, Como star Nico Paz has made it clear to interested clubs that he intends to return to Real Madrid.
Paz scored for Argentina against Mauritania on Friday (Photo: Jose Luis Suerte/Alamy)
Paz, 21, joined Serie A outfit Como from the Spanish giants in 2024 and has since made 68 appearances for the Italian side across all competitions, scoring 17 goals and registering 15 assists.
The Argentine has been in particularly good form this term, and his impressive displays have attracted interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, the report says.
Real Madrid included a buy-back clause in the deal to sell Paz to Como, though, and the report claims that the La Liga side intend to activate that clause this summer.
Paz is under contract in the Spanish capital until the end of the 2027/28 season, but it appears almost certain that he will return to Real this year.
It is claimed that the Argentinian attacking midfielder is intent on returning to his former club, where he has been promised a role as an important first team player as he is viewed as one of the most promising young players in Europe at present.